Southern white rhino calf, Nandi, has taken her first steps outside at Whipsnade Zoo.
The two-week-old calf, Nandi, had been bonding with her mum Tuli in an indoor part of her enclosure at the conservation Zoo, but on Monday 6 September, keepers felt she was ready to venture outside, meet the rest of her herd and explore her 18-acre enclosure.
Born on 21 August, Nandi is a welcome addition to the European Endangered species breeding programme. She joins her mum Tuli and dad Sizzle within the Zoo’s herd (also known as a “crash”) of eight Southern white rhinos.
Southern white rhinos are the world’s second largest land mammal. According to the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species, there are approximately 10,000 Southern white rhinos left in the wild, and their numbers are decreasing due to poaching, habitat loss, introduction of invasive species and climate change.
